Pneumatic liquid-elevator.



No. 776,907. PATENTED DEO. 6, 1904. E.. HASTAIN.

PNEUMATIC LIQUID ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED HAB. 12, 1904.

N0 MODEL. ZBHEETB-SHEET l.

PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904.

E. HASTAIN.

PNEUMATIG LIQUID ELBVATOB..

AlPLIUATION FILED MAR.12, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.y l1

NO MODEL.

A TTOH'NE YS.

NiTn STATES Patented December 6, 19041.

PATENT OFFICE.l

`PNEUNlATl LIQUID-ELEVATOR..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,907', dated December 6, 1904.

Application filed March I2, 1904:. Serial No. 197,747. (No model.)

T0 (ir/ZZ. when?, if; 11m/y concern.-

Be it known that I, EDDIE IIAsTAIN, a citizen ot' the United States, residing' at 'Iishomingo, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Liq uid-Iillevators, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to pneumatic liquidelevators of that form in which a submerged chamber is provided with valves by which water, oil, or other liquid is allowed to enter said chamber and is then forced up and out through a stand-pipe by means oi the pressure of compressed air, gas, or steam admitted to the surface of the liquid in the chamber.

My invention consists in a novel arrangement of i'loats and valves by which the appa ratus is made to work automatically with a very positive and etlicient action, whichI will now proceed to describe with reference to the drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section ol the apparatus arranged in a well and showing the position otthe parts during the filling of the submerged chamber. Fig. 2 is a somewhat similar view showing the position ot' parts during the discharge o'l' the liquid trom the submerged chamber andv its elevation through the stand-pipe. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing the connectingmechanism between the upper and middle lioats, and Fig. el is a similar detail showing the connecting mechanism between the lower and middle tloats.

In the operation of my apparatus a valve which admits compressed air to asubmerged chamber and a valve that allows the alternate escape of this air are worked alternately by a float, so that the compressed-air valve is opened when the escape-valve is closed and the escape-valve ope-ned when the compressedair valve is closed. Inasmuch, however, `as it is desirable to have these valves operated not gradually, but as nearly instantaneously as possible at the times when the submerged chamber is illed and is emptied, I have devised a special arrangement of three lloats tor doing this, one main iloat and two supple mentary ioats, one supplementary float above and the other below the main 'lioat, and which float It.

supplementary lioats are designed to act initially to bring the main iioat into action only at the complete filling and complete emptying of the submerged chamber, and then with a quick, positive, and vigorous action.

I will lirst describe the construction of my apparatus and afterward its operation, rei'erence being had more particularly to Figs. l and 2 oiE the drawings.

A is the submerged chamber, which is to be placed in any kind ol a wellbelow the level ol the liquid contained therein, as seen in the drawings. This chamber has in its bottom or lower end an upwardly@pening valve a, which will allow the surrounding liquid toV pass into the chamber A, but will not allow it to escape therefrom. The chamber Alias adetachable cover A, secured by screw-tln'eads, as shown, or by bolts, and iitting with an air-tightjoint. Through this cover there rises a stand-pipe B, which extends up to the top of the well or to any desired elevation. This stand-pipe B extends nearly to the bottom of the submerged chamber A and has at its lower end an upwardly-opening check-valve E3. cSliding on this stand-pipe within the chamber A is along sleevee, carrying aboutits middle alargeiloat E, preferably ol cylindrical torm, which is rigidly attached to the sleeve e and moves it up and down.

Through the cover A ol*l the submerged chamber there extend the two pipes (land D,

rigidly iixed in the cover with tight joints.

C is the compressed-air pipe, which extends up to the top of the well or to any desired point and communicates with a eomprcsscdair reservoir, a pump, a blower, or other means for supplying through the pipe a [low ot' compressed air. Y

The pipe I) opens into the well preferably a little above the level oi the liquid therein and is merely a waste-pipe through which the air may escape from the submerged chamber when the latter is lilling with liquid.

At the bottom ot' the pipe C there is a valve or cock c, which has a lever-arm d, which is loosely connected to the sleeve e ol the main This valve or cock is designed to alternately open and close communication beu tween the pipeCand the interior of the chamber A and is operated by the rise and fall of the sleeve e of the main fioat. A similar I valve or cock (Z is arranged at the lower end 5 of pipeD and hasa lever-arm (Z, which has a loose connection Z2 with the sleeve c of the main fioat. This valve or cock alternately opens and closes communication between the chamber A and the air abov-e the level of the liquid in the well. This valve or cock (Z is also operated bythe risc and fall of the sleeve e of' the main float, and the two valves are so arranged in relation to the said sleeve that they are operated reversely by the same Inovement of the sleeve and fioat--that is to say, when the compressed-air valve is open the escape-valve is closed, and vice versa. Now if the chamber A be assumed to be empty and the compressed-air valve c is closed and its escape-valve Z is operated it will be seen that the liquid outside the chamber A will raise the valve a and fill the chamber A, the air above the water passing out through the valve (l and pipe D. Now if the valve d is closed and the compressed-air valve c is opened, as in Fig. 2, the pressure of the compressed air on the surface of the water in the chamber A will cause the inlet-valve a at the bottom of the chamberA to close, and the water will be forced up through Valve E3, which opens upwardly, and will rise in the stand-pipe to the top of the well or to any elevation desired, dependent upon the pressure of the air employed. As the valves c and Z are connected to the sleeve @and the latter is attached to the main float E, it will be seen. that the rise and fall of the latter in the chamber will supply the power to work said valves. It is not desirable, however, to have the valves c and l worked gradually and slowly by the gradual and slow rise and fall of the float E, as a very imperfect action would result. I have therefore devised means by which the main float E is held stationary and unaffected by the rise and fall of the level of the liquid in the chamber untilthe chamber is either aboutfull or about empty. These means consist of the supplementary floats E/ and E2, one above and the other below the main float and connected with it, so as to lock the main float and hold it stationary until the liquid-level reaches and acts upon either the float E/ or E2, which are near the top and bottom of the cham ber. Then the action of the liquid upon veither the float E or E2, as the case may be, unlocks the main float and allows the latter to positively, vigorously, and quickly rise or fall with a forceful movement to shift the valves just as the chamber is about empty or is about full. This not only gives a strong and forceful movement to operate the valves, but it allows the chamber to be emptied and filled to its fullest capacity and to be emptied and filled in a much shorter space of time, as there is no gradual closing of the valves, as would be the case were they directly and constantly moved by a slow rise and fall of the main float E.

The particular means for connecting the supplementary floats E E2 to the main float E in reaching the above results are shown in Figs. 3 and el, and the mechanism is substantially the same for both the supplementary floats. Each of these floats has a central hole through which passes the long sleeve e of the main float, the supplementary floats sliding freely up and down on said sleeve. The upper float E has a downwardly-projecting arm 0*, which is jointed to an offset c3 from a pair of toggle-arms e/ e2. These two toggle-arms are jointed to each other in the middle. The upper arm e is at its upper end hinged to the stationary stand-pipe B, the sleeve c being slotted longitudinally at this point to permit such connection. The lower arm e2 is at its lower end hinged to the top of the main float E.

Referring now to Fig. l, if the parts be in the position shown and the water be entering the chamber A and has risen to the level indicated by the arrow it does not lift main float E, because the latter is held down by the weight of upper float E, which, through arm ci, holds the toggle-arms e c2 in straight vertical alinement, which locks and holds down float E. Vhen, however, the rising waterlevel reaches the line rv ai, the weight E' is buoyed up, arm c* pulls out the toggle-arms c e2 and, breaking' the lock, allows the submerged but now released float E to rapidly and forcefully rise, carrying' its sleeve e with it and giving a quick and positive movement to the valves c and Z just about the time the chamber is full. This movement closes the escape-valve and opens the compressed -air valve` and the water begins to be forced up the stand-pipe by the incoming compressed air. Now when the liquid reaches the level of the bottom of the main float E, as seen in Fig. 2, the float E does not drop to shift the valve until the liquid is practically all out of the chamber A, because the toggle-arms e7 and es are held straightened and locked in vertical position by the buoyancy of supplementary float E2, acting through arm c5 and the offset a of toggle-arms e7 and es. The fioat E will therefore be held up in the air until the level of the liquid falling to dotted line y y allows supplementary float E2 to descend. The descent of E2 then pulls out the toggle e7 es and allows the main float E to drop with its full dead-weight with a quick and forceful movement, which instantly shifts the valves for filling again just about the time the chamber is practically empty.

It will be seen that each pair of togglearms has one of its members hinged to the stationary stand-pipe B through a slot on the IOO ITO

sleeve e, and this stationary hinge-point g'ives the locking anchorag'e to hold the main lloat against upward or downward movement until the tog'g'le is tripped and the lock broken by one or the other oi' the supplementary lioats.

In carrying' out my invention I do not conline myself to any particular Aform of valves or shape ol'i l'loats, as many such details may be varied without departing from my inven tion.

Some ot' -the advantages of my water-elevator are as follows: When there is a small supply et oil or water, it will pump all ot' it out as fast as it runs in, and no time or energy is lost. It does away with the cylinder and rod, which in a deep well is ot' g'reat weight. Several wells can be run from one power by connecting air-supply by pipes. The power need not be at the well, but wherever most' convenient and carried to -the elevator by a pipe. In supplying water it can be carried to all parts of a building and is always ready to be turned on by faucet. A well may be constantly emptied ot' its water, and thus be converted into a running' spring, so that pure cold water can always be obtained lrom the bottom of the well.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Apneumatic liqnid-elevator, comprising a closed chamber having an inlet-valve and a central valved stand-pipe, a compressed-air valve and escaiie-valve opening into the top of said chamber, a main lloat surrounding the stand-pipe 'for operating' the said eoi'npressedair and escape valves, means for locking said iloat against rising and falling, and two supplementary iloats also surrounding the standpipe and arranged. one above and the other below the main fioat and acting to release the locking devices substantially as described.

2. A pneumatic liquid-elevator, comprising' a closed chamber having' an .inlet-valve and a valved stand-pipe, a compressed-air valve and escape-valve opening into said chamber, a main float having an attached sleeve sliding on the stand-pipe for operating said valves, two supplein entary floats sliding freely on the sleeve of the main float, and means for locking the main float to the stand-rupe, said locking devices being' arranged to be tripped and unlocked by the action o'lI the supplementary floats substantially as described.

3. A pneumatic liquidsclevator, comprising a vertically-elongated closed chamber with an inlet-valve at the bottom and a central valved stand-pipe opening into the bottom ot' said chamber, inlet and escape valves for compressed air, three concentrically-arranged and superposed lioats sliding on the central standpipe, the middle one being connected to the air-valves and being provided with lockingl devices, and the upper and lower lloats being provided with tripping devices t'or unlocking' the middle lloat substantially as described.

it. Ina liquid-elevator oi' the kind described, the combination with the valves and the 'lloat lor operating the same; ot' a supplementary float arranged in vertical alinement with the main float, a locking-toggle having one end jointed to the main iioat and the other end to a lixed anchorage and tril'iping device connecting the supplementary lliloat to the locking'- toggle to release the same and bring the main illoat into action siiibstantially as described.

5. In a liquid-elevator oi' the kind described, the combination with the valves; el a lioat having a vertically-extended sleeve connected to the valves, a stand-pipe passing through said sleeve, a supplementary lioat sliding on the outside of said sleeve, and locking and tripping' devices for locking' the main 'l'loat and tripping it by the supplementary l'loat substantially as described.

6. In a liquidclevator, the combination with a closed chamber having an inlet-valve; ol' an air-inlet valve and air-outlet valve opening into the top of the closed chamber and having operati ng lever-arms projecting inward ly, and a iloat having an upwardly-extending sleeve passing' between the valves and loosely connected to their arms, and a stand-pipe passing upwardly through said sleeve substantially as and 'for the purpose described.

7. Ina liquid-elevator oil the kind described, the combination oi? the air inlet and outlet valves, a stationary stand-pipe, a main iioat with sleeve sliding' on the stand-pipe, means for connecting' said sleeve to the valves, a supplementary tloat sliding' on the sleeve, a locking device connecting the stand-pipe and main lioat and means by which said locking device is connected to and operated upon by the supplementary Heat substantially as described.

8. A liquidelevator, colnprising' a closed chamber having an inlet-valve at the bottom, a stand-pipe opening into the lower part ol.l said chamber and having an upwardly-opening' valve, airinlet and air-escape valves arranged in the upper part of said chamber, a main i'loat having a central sleeve surrounding' the stand-pipe and connected to the airvalves, upper and lower supplementary 'Boats sliding' on the sleeve, and locking and tripping' devices for causing' the supplementary `lloats to lock and unlock the main float substantially as described.

EDDIE HAS' AIN l/Vitnesses:

W. l-I. Wanken, GUY P. Conn.

IIO 

